2014 – Page 8

July 7, 2014 Fiction

A Big Story to Tell

Even the heat down here had flavor. Sort of roof-of-the-mouth thing. Not like the other flavors of this place. The salty grit of char-grilled oysters, the soft-to-soggy sweetness of beignets,

July 3, 2014 Fiction

The During (or, 12 hrs, 40 min)

They hadn’t spoken since Minnesota. They’d even gassed up, restroomed, and resupplied in Beloit without a word, surprised to find old signals still at their fingertips, even after the eleven years of divorce that had followed

July 2, 2014 Reviews

Book Review: Not for Nothing by Stephen Graham Jones

Not For Nothing by Stephen Graham Jones is a new hardboiled detective novel written in second person. Many know the second person format from those appliance manuals none of us ever read, but my introduction to the second person narrative came from Stephen King’s classic post-apoplectic thriller, The Stand.

June 30, 2014 Fiction

Fulfillment

Margaret had spent her childhood staring into her father’s shined shoes. He was a traveling salesman, based out of St. Louis, a man who slicked grease through his hair, handed suits on coat hangers

June 27, 2014 Fiction

New York Wanderings

I wander all night through my city with light feet, swiftly and noiselessly stepping and stopping, wandering and confused, lost to myself, bending with open eyes over the shut eyes of sleepers, ill-assorted and contradictory,

June 26, 2014 Columns

Obit: Sarah Smithfield

Sarah was a real go-getter, vibrant and sexy, even more so at 98. She was the envy of her community because she never got “old.” While her friends played Bridge, she went cock hunting at the proctologist’s office,

June 25, 2014 Reviews

Book Review: Between Wrecks by George Singleton

In an interview, George Singleton once had the following to say: “Unfortunately, I am my main characters, for better or worse.” Now, in his sixth collection of short stories, Between Wrecks, he leaves us with a cast of tough and tender characters, characters who quite often cope with their lives through drinking, smoking, and even more importantly, humor. With each story, I found myself not only admiring Singleton’s abilities as a writer, but wondering where or how I might meet such a figure, or given his statement, figures.

June 23, 2014 Fiction

Keep From

I am burning the garlic and weeping to you about the garlic burning. I am leaving the stove on and running up the stairs to our attic desk, shaking bodily under the long center drawer of it.

June 20, 2014 Fiction

The Game

The first level of the game is easy. In the first level, you are a warrior, with a warrior’s staff. Fighting off the lizards and strange, robot-like invaders is no harder than swiping your hand left and right quickly. This will cause the staff to emit a magic wave, which will then reverberate and destroy all of your enemies.